There was no report of political violence countrywide during Belize’s double general and municipal elections day, yesterday, Wednesday, March 7, 2012. However, there was the stabbing of a very well-known and well-liked figure, Claude “Too-Tall” Jones, a Belizean basketball star.
Jones a resident of Double Head Cabbage Village who played on the championship basketball team Kremandala Raiders, was stabbed twice with a surgical blade; once in the left side of the abdomen and once in the left upper shoulder, by a young man known to him. The young man, a fellow villager, Jones told us, has since been detained by police.
The stabbing, Jones’ common-law wife, Gina Flowers said, was not a product of political issues, but rather a case of a Good Samaritan trying to break up a fight and being stabbed in the process of rendering aid.
The incident took place at the polling station in Double Head Cabbage, Belize Rural, shortly after 4:00 p.m.; the couple had just finished casting their votes a few minutes before.
The candidates for this area were winner, United Democratic Party candidate Edmund “Clear the Land” Castro, the People’s United Party candidate Arthur Saldivar, and the Vision Inspired by the People candidate Rufus X.
According to Flowers, both she and Jones had just been walking around in the polling area before leaving for home when Jones noticed two young men engaged in a fight. Jones could not resist stopping the fight due to his youth-friendly type persona.
Flowers said that she was still not sure of the reason for the fighting, but Jones spoke to the young men, advising them to let go of whatever issue they had with each other. During his efforts to stop the fight, Jones suffered a stab wound to his left lower abdomen.
Flowers said, “Actually, Claude didn’t see that he [one of the young men] had a surgical blade, and he just stabbed Claude in his side.”
It was not until a few seconds after the first stab that Jones was aware that he had been stabbed. Jones tried to disarm his attacker, but was unable to. He was then brought to the ground by persons they believe to be the stabber’s family members, and was stabbed again, this time in the left upper shoulder.
The young men then fled. Jones told us today that the police have since detained the accused stabber.
Jones was rushed to the Boom Road by a fellow villager, where they met up with an ambulance team who then took him to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
Flowers told us that Jones was bleeding profusely from the shoulder wound. He has since received medical attention and was released late this morning. We were unable to get any further information on this issue from the Police’s Public Relations Officer.
Jones, who is employed at the University of Belize, told us that he is doing better today.